For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

The Only Authority

Recognizing authority is paramount to the doctrine of man’s relationship with God. Satan first challenged authority when he suggested Eve question the word of God. His goal was to make the woman believe the commandment forbidding the eating of fruit from the tree of knowledge was unfair and she should reject God’s oppressive authority. Since the beginning of time, Satan has destroyed God’s creation by challenging the authority of the word of God. When men believe they can become their own gods, serving their own will, finding a better way than the knowledge of the Lord; Satan has won a new disciple. Religion has become multifaceted in man’s attempt to establish his own authority. Churches abound in different styles, faiths, beliefs and acceptance of what men believe because there is no authority to govern the pattern.

Paul affirms what has always been true. There is only one God and there is no other. Through the grace of the Lord God, there is only one mediator and that is Christ Jesus. The authority of God is final. There is no word beyond His word. What has been written since time beginning is the word of God affirmed by the only authority that has a right to govern the affairs of man. The Creator demands the creation follow His word. As the potter, He has the right to mold the clay as He decides. Someone has suggested two important lessons to learn: (1) There is a God; (2) I am not Him. His word is the only word and His word is the only truth. Modern religious division decries the authority of God by rejecting His will for the whims of man’s wisdom. There is one God and that is final.

Salvation can only come through the one advocate given by God. Jesus told His disciples there was only one way to the Father because the only truth that would save man is found in the only life given to save man. Jesus Christ is the only mediator. Man has a direct link to the Father through Jesus and Jesus alone. It is an abomination for any man to take on the role of mediator. No Pope, priest, preacher or person should dare put on the mantle of authority that was given only to Jesus Christ and Him alone. There is one God and there is one Savior. One man died on a cross that was sinless. Only one came from Heaven to save man. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father. One God. One Son. One way.

Religious division comes from the rejection of authority. Few in the churches of men understand the value of authority. It matters not what the Bible says for those who are ‘religious’ because a man tells them what to do. So much of what men teach and practice is not found in the Bible yet they deceive the masses to believe they have the authority of God. If every devout follower of the Lord would ask for Biblical authority for what is said and done, no religious division would exist. Churches of men would crumble under the weight of Biblical authority. We are shocked men would worship idols falling down to multiple gods and yet we practice the same lie in preaching salvation through the wisdom of man. Eternal life comes from one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. The Bible is the only book that reveals the mind of God to man. That excludes every other book written by men as a lie. One God. One Lord. One Word. One.

Authority permeates, guides, shapes our lives. The acceptance of authority is the acceptance of what is given by those who have more than we. (Paul Tillich, The New Being, 1955)